Rain Gear System

ABSTRACT

A rain gear system including a carrying case, an umbrella, and two foldable boots having an upper portion and a lower portion. The carrying case of the invention includes at least two compartments. The two compartments may be separate pouches within the carrying case. The umbrella and the boots are constructed to fit within the carrying case when not in use. The umbrella of the invention has a foldable frame. The two foldable boots are water-proof or water-repelling. Each of the foldable boots includes at least one narrowing mechanism to secure the boots to a wearer&#39;s leg. Each boot also has an upper and a lower portion. The upper portion protects a wearer&#39;s leg and pants and the lower portion protects the wearer&#39;s footwear from rain. The lower portion of the foldable boots includes anti-slip features to provide grip or traction. Each foldable boot also includes a restriction mechanism to maintain itself in the folded position when not in use.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/787,564, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is related to rain protection gear, moreparticularly a rain protection system that allows the users to protecttheir feet and lower legs (and the shoes or apparel worn at the time) aswell as to provide a shield for the user over his head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People often carry an umbrella when they expect rain, to protect theirhead and upper body from rainwater. However, as people navigate throughwet and muddy streets on a rainy day, their shoes and pants often becomedirty and wet as the umbrellas do not provide protection.

Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a system thatshields a person's head and upper body, while offering protection toparts of their lower body as well. It is a further object of theinvention to provide a system that can be stored away easily when not inuse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

A rain gear system comprising a carrying case, an umbrella, and twofoldable boots having an upper portion and a lower portion; wherein theumbrella and the boots are constructed to fit within the carrying casewhen not in use. The current invention also includes a rain gearassembly comprising a carrying component, an umbrella having acollapsible frame; and two water-repellent boots, each having an upperportion and a lower portion, the boots further comprising at least onenarrowing mechanism to stabilize the boots onto a user when the bootsare worn by the user; wherein the umbrella and the boots are constructedto fit within the carrying component.

The objects of this invention are achieved and the disadvantages ofprior rain gear are overcome by providing a system for rain protectionhaving a pair of boots and an umbrella housed in a pouch. The user mayremove the boots and umbrella from the pouch to wear and use in therain, and return them back into the pouch when the user is no longer inthe rain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a raingear system in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the raingear system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a raingear system in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carrying component in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a boot in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a boot in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the boot of FIG. 6 in a rolled-upposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to the drawings. In general, such embodimentsrelate to a rain gear system. It is to be understood that any size,shape or construction of the rain gear system are all within the scopeof the invention. Still other objects and advantages of the inventionwill in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from thespecification.

A rain gear system 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventionis shown in FIGS. 1-5. The rain gear system 10 preferably includes apair of boots 100, a carrying component 200, and an umbrella 300. Theumbrella 300 and boots 100 may be housed within the carrying component200 when not in use. Preferably, the volume of the carrying component200 with the umbrella 300 and boots 100 housed therein preferably is notsignificantly greater than that of the umbrella by itself, morepreferably not more than 20% greater than the volume of the umbrella,most preferably not more than 10% greater than the volume of theumbrella. Preferably, the carrying component 200 with the umbrella 300and boots 100 housed therein is small enough to fit into a coat pocketfor portability.

The carrying component 200 may be made from a number of differentmaterials, such as plastic, rubber, textile, waterproof fabric, etc. Itmay be rigid, such as a hard case, or flexible and collapsible, such asa bag, so long as it can carry and store the other components of thecurrent invention. It is preferably flexible and provides storage andcarrying capacity, taking up as small space as possible, while beingable to be easily tucked away into a pocket or a pocketbook when theother components are in use. Whereas it does not need to be waterproofor water repellent, it is preferably made of water repellent materialand most preferably made from waterproof material, so that even if a wetumbrella 300 and/or boots 100 are inserted therein after use in therain, the system 10 may be carried in the user's pocket or bag withoutgetting the contents thereof wet. FIGS. 2-3 show a carrying component200 housing an umbrella 200 and a pair of boots 100 therein, in twodifferent arrangements.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the carrying component 200 preferably hasat least two compartments 210, 220. The compartments 210, 220 may be thesame or different in size and/or shape, and may be constructed from avariety of materials and/or combinations thereof, preferably from anelastic material that can be stretched to accommodate the content withinthe compartment. It is also preferable to use quick drying material, ormaterial that allows air-circulation for quick drying, including but notlimited to a mesh material. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, thecompartments 210, 220 are accessible via opening mechanisms 212, 222,for example, zippers for opening and closing the opening to thecompartments 210, 220. The compartments 210, 220 may be formed withinthe carrying component 200 by a divider within the carrying component200. Alternatively, the compartments 210, 200 each may be a pouch withinthe carrying component 200, thus providing at least two layers ofmaterial between the boots 100 and umbrella 300 and the user when theboots 100 and umbrella 300 are housed therein.

The umbrella 300 is preferably lightweight and has a foldable orcollapsible frame, and shields the user's head and upper body fromrainwater.

An embodiment of the invention also includes a pair of boots 100. Incertain situations, such as when it is raining, the boots 100 may bepulled over a user's feet, covering the user's shoes to protect themfrom rain and puddles. The boots are preferably elongated to extendupward along the user's legs when worn. Most preferably, the boots 100extend tall enough to cover at least the bottom three to four inches ofthe user's legs and pants, if applicable, providing additionalprotection from rain and water.

Reference is made to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-6, wherein theboots 100 have an upper portion 130 and a lower portion 120. The upperportion 130 is preferably made from waterproof or water repellentmaterial, such as materials including but not limited to waterprooftextile or manmade fabric. The upper portion 130 further includes anopening 131 to allow the user to insert his feet/shoes through and toallow the user to pull the boots 100 up along his legs. The boots 100preferably also include a narrowing mechanism 132 to help stabilize andsecure the boots 100 to the user. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, theboots 100 include two narrowing mechanisms 132 and 121. The firstnarrowing mechanism 132 is located at or near the opening 131 of theupper portion 130 of the boots 100. The first narrowing mechanism 132can be used to adjust the width and circumference of the opening 131.The second narrowing mechanism 121 is preferably located at or nearwhere the upper portion 130 of the boot 100 meets the lower portion 120.The location preferably corresponds to the user's ankle region.

Various types of narrowing mechanisms may be used without deviating fromthe scope of the invention. In an embodiment of the invention,adjustable drawstrings are used as the narrowing mechanism. However, anynarrowing mechanism known in the art, included but not limited todrawstrings, elastic, adjustable straps, or ties may be used.Alternatively, the narrowing mechanism may be sewn-in or otherwiseattached elastic bands, which would allow users to pull and expand theopening at the top and near the ankle to allow feet and shoes to passthrough, but still provide secure fitting when released.

The lower portion 120 of the boots may also be made from waterproof orwater repellent materials, including but not limited to rubberizedtextile or recycled rubber sheets. Preferably, the lower portion 120 ofthe boots are made from waterproof, rubberized material, which wouldprovide protection from water, and from slippery conditions by providingfraction. The lower portion of the boots may have different contours,shapes and sizes for different types of shoes. Additionally, the lowerportion 120 of the boots may have additional elements to ensure that theuser's shoes fit comfortably and securely in the boots. For example,there may be internal ribbing of elastic, external laces, or additionalinternal padding/inserts to ensure a proper fit.

Furthermore, the lower portion 120 of the boots 100 may optionally betexturized to further prevent slippage and provide traction. Inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention, the lower portion 120may comprise a sole portion 122 made of a material having greatertraction than the remainder of the lower portion 120 and upper portion130.

Preferably, the boots 100 are constructed of a material flexible enoughto permit the boots to be folded, rolled up, or otherwise reduced involume for storing in the carrying component 200. The boots 100 may alsohave a restricting mechanism 140 to maintain the boots 100 folded,rolled up or otherwise reduced in volume. Embodiments of the restrictingmechanism 140 include a strap and a fastener, for example, hook-and-loopfasteners such as Velcro®, buttons, snap buttons, elastic, ties,hook-and-eye fasteners, magnetic fasteners, and adhesive fasteners, byway of non-limiting example. For a restricting mechanism 140 having astrap, the strap may wrap around one or more boots and fasten ontoitself or onto the boot(s) 100 via the fastener(s). Other embodiments ofthe restricting mechanism 140 include an elastic band that can wraparound one or more boots 100, a hook attached onto the body of the boot,and the manner in which the boot is folded. Additionally, therestricting mechanism 140 may be one or more of the narrowing mechanisms32, 21.

It is to be understood that the components included in the system do notneed to be any specific size or shape. With this system, the user isable to gain the protection of their shoes and pants/lower legs withlittle increase in size and weight from a traditional portable umbrella.Other embodiments/variations of the original design are possible, notlimited to modifications in the physical style (while still encompassingthe original elements of the design), height, and materials.

The examples provided are merely exemplary, and additional alterationscan be made. As a way of non-limiting example, the length, width,thickness, size, shape or circumferences of the boots, umbrella and bagmay vary as a matter of application specific design choice, and shouldnot be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Forexample, the carrying component may or may not include a strap tofacilitate carrying the carrying component. Additionally, whereaszippers are illustrated, other opening mechanisms for the compartmentsare contemplated. Thus, while there have been shown, described andpointed out novel features of the present invention as applied topreferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variousomissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of thedisclosed invention may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall there between.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rain gear system comprising: a carrying case; an umbrella; and two foldable boots having an upper portion and a lower portion; wherein the umbrella and the boots are constructed to fit within the carrying case when not in use.
 2. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the carrying case comprises at least 2 compartments.
 3. The rain gear system of claim 2, wherein the 2 compartments are pouches within the carrying case.
 4. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the umbrella has a foldable frame.
 5. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the foldable boots are constructed of waterproof material.
 6. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the foldable boots further comprises at least one narrowing mechanism.
 7. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the foldable boots further comprises an anti-slip feature.
 8. The rain gear system of claim 1, wherein the foldable boots further comprise a restriction mechanism constructed and arranged to maintain the boots in a folded position.
 9. A rain gear assembly comprising: a carrying component; an umbrella having a collapsible frame; and two water-repellent boots, each having an upper portion and a lower portion, the boots further comprising at least one narrowing mechanism constructed and arranged to stabilize the boots onto a user when the boots are worn by the user; wherein the umbrella and the boots are constructed to fit within the carrying component.
 10. The rain gear assembly of claim 9, wherein the carrying component is waterproof or water repellent.
 11. The rain gear assembly of claim 9, wherein the two water-repellent boots comprise two narrowing mechanisms, the first narrowing mechanism positioned near the top of the upper portion and the second mechanism positioned around the area where the upper portion is connected to the lower portion.
 12. The rain gear assembly of claim 9, wherein the two water-repellent boots are flexible and foldable.
 13. The rain gear assembly of claim 9, wherein the two water-repellent boots further comprise a restriction mechanism constructed and arranged to maintain the boots in a folded position.
 14. A rain gear assembly comprising: a bag, an umbrella and two boots, the boots constructed of a flexible and collapsible material, wherein the umbrella and the boots fit inside the bag. 